Scars
by Abiceyn
Summary: Naomi turns to the knife when Mr. Cannon gets to be too much to handle, but what will Liam think of all this when he finds out?  For my sister!  Happy Birthday!


**Okay, first off, don't judge this story too harshly. I had to write in a couple days to have it ready in time for my sister's Birthday. Happy Birthday sister! This is for her. Her favorite couple is Liam and Naomi and she desperately wants them back together, so what better birthday gift than to get them back together? I apologize if any facts are wrong or if the characters are totally out of character, but I don't actually watch this show very much, so I did what I could. I'm really a Blair/Chuck writer (and there is a different story I should really be working on instead, but oh well). It's a little rushed and stupid at the end, but hey, they got back together right? That's all that matters **

"God-DAMMIT!" Naomi screamed as the door slammed behind her. Why? Why did he make her feel this way? She couldn't even handle his being in the room for 5 minutes before she made a hurried excuse and bolted for the door. She knew bolting and leaving the school had been a mistake. It meant that he had won, and was probably having a congratulatory bottle of wine at this very moment.

"UGH!" She screeched as she threw herself over the kitchen counter. 4 months had passed, and he still had this hold over her. Nothing she did made the pain go away. Never mind that she literally had no friends. Silver hated her guts, Adrianna and Annie weren't on speaking terms with her, things were weird with Liam, and she had never really been friends with Dixon, Teddy and Navid. We won't even mention that super-skank Ivy. Nothing. The former ruling Goddess of Beverley Hills had been reduced to nothing more than an empty tissue box. Little bits taken and abused, until there was nothing left but the hollow, beat up shell that nobody wanted. Sure, it may be pretty on the outside, but what good was an empty box?

She was completely alone, and not a soul cared what happened to her. Her destruction was self, for it was initiated by one stupid mistake. A mistake that would prevent her from turning in the man who haunted the hallways and commanded her dreams. Oh yes, this was her fault. There was really only one way to end the pain, but she wasn't sure she could do it. She saw the knife lying next to the sink and slowly pressed it against the soft underside of her wrist. One cut. One long vertical cut, and she could end it. All of it. All the pain, the nightmares, and the loneliness. She tried, but her hand just wouldn't move that way. With a frustrated sigh, she threw the knife into the sink. It landed with a clatter. Naomi stopped. There could be another way…

She again grabbed the knife, this time with more confidence, and drew a single horizontal line across the underside of her wrist. It hurt. A lot. But it was good. It was REALLY good. All the pain just washed out, dissolved in the thick red fluid. In that moment, there was peace. Finally, one aspect of her life she could control.

XOXO

Naomi felt good about herself today. Finally for the first time in months. She pulled out her new D&G mini-skirt and Loubitans. She started to grab a helter top, but stopped when her scar entered her sight line. Instead, she went for a long-sleeved v-neck sweater.

When she walked through the doors of West Beverley, people turned and noticed. Naomi Clarke was back, and everyone knew it. It was amazing. A couple of the football idiots tried to hit on her, but she brushed them off. The power fueled her, and all the events leading up to this moment had vanished like Gucci Boots at a sample sale.

As she breezed into her English class, there were definitely stares. She smirked at them all. It felt good to be on top again. The sight of Liam and Annie staring longingly at each other didn't even cause bile to rise in her throat. Life was good.

Miss. Swan hadn't even arrived yet. The acknowledgement briefly passed through her mind, but didn't linger long enough to make any kind of imprint. Maybe if the thought had left an imprint, it would have occurred to her that Miss. Swan was never, ever late for class, and if she wasn't here, something awful must have happened, which would mean someone without much to do would have to step in. 5 minutes later, enter Mr. Cannon. He grinned right at her, the look in his eyes letting her know he knew how his presence affected her. Naomi struggled to hold on to her new self confidence, but she could feel the tissues being pulled one-by-one. How could she handle being in class with him for a whole hour? Every few minutes he would glance over at her with that same look in his eyes. She was slowly slipping away, the same thing that happened last time they were in the same room together. There was only one way to prevent herself from completely losing it. She got up, and bolted from the room. Blindly, she ran to the cafeteria. The only thing out was plastic butter knives. She snuck back to the kitchen. The lunch-lady was in there, but one clatter from outside and that would no longer be a problem. She knocked down the piles of trays, and hid. When lunch-lady came out, Naomi snuck back in. Quickly, she grabbed a paring knife and slid out the emergency exit. Not sure where to go, for she was pretty sure the school had security cameras, she sprinted in the direction of the parking lot.

XOXO

Naomi's sudden departure startled Liam. This was the second time this week she had bolted from class and not returned. He really couldn't understand it, but he was worried. It was unlike her. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to go and look for her…his hand shot in the air. "What Liam?" Mr. Cannon asked with irritation. "I need to go to the bathroom" Liam challenged him. There was a brief pause. "No" Mr. Cannon decided and went back to his book. "What, are you serious?" Liam spoke out.

"Dead serious" Mr. Cannon said not even looking up from his book.

"Alright, you know what? This is bull-shit!" Liam slammed his fist on the desk and picked his stuff up to leave.

"Liam, what are you doing?" Annie whispered nervously.

"I need to go" he said

"But Liam!" she protested, but he was gone. He wasn't sure why he had ever liked her. She was super annoying.

"Mr. Court!" Mr. Cannon hollered, but Liam was gone.

XOXO

"Naomi!" Liam called, rushing out the front doors. Nowhere had she been in the school. He had even tentatively checked the girl's washrooms (luckily no one had been in there). He couldn't explain it, but her absence was really worrying him. The feeling that something was very wrong couldn't be shaken. Also, her phone wasn't on (a definite reason to believe something was wrong), so he couldn't reach her. She could have left the school altogether, making this entire search pointless. He decided to check the parking lot. He noticed her car right away, for it was easy to spot. Glossy, white, and gleaming in the sunshine. The idea that she might be in the car compelled him to jog over there.

The sight displayed through the window was an image that was to be burned in his mind forever. Shock held him captive for a moment before snapping out of it and yelling "Naomi!"

She stopped, the knife flying out of her hand. Her head whipped to face him, her face a look of pure terror, the terror increasing when she realized who it was. He quickly opened the door before she had a chance to lock it. She made an attempt to hide her bleeding wrist, but it was no use. There was blood everywhere. He grabbed her wrist and stared, unable to speak. She tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let her. "Naomi" he breathed, then turned angry. "What the hell are you doing?"

Her face hardened. "Go away Liam" she said pulling her arm back.

"No" he said blocking her from closing the door. "Why are you doing this to yourself?"

"Why does it matter!" she cried out, on the verge of tears. "It's not like you care about me at all!"

"Naomi", he said kneeling next to her. "I happen to care about you a lot." She looked at him, surprised. "Now please" he started again. "Lets get you cleaned up, and you can tell me what's wrong".

XOXO

45 minutes later, they were sitting on Naomi's back porch, Naomi with gauze wrapped around her wrist.

"Now" began Liam. "Can you please tell me what compelled you to start cutting yourself?"

"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me." Naomi said softly.

"Naomi, I caught you cutting yourself. Whatever happened, I'll believe you."

"Not this" she looked away, when the tears started to come.

"Hey" he said, turning turning her head to face him. "I promise, I'll believe you, whatever it is."

"It's just so embarrassing" she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I won't judge" he said.

There was a moment of silence. "Well, okay. You know the party at the school end of last year?" Liam nodded. "Well, I was ready to go home, when I saw that my car had a flat tire. My cell phone had died, so I went back in the school to find someone with a phone. The only person around, or at least the only person I could find…was Mr. Cannon" she choked out his name.

"And…?" Liam urged her.

"Well, I asked to use his phone, but he asked how I was and we got to talking. He showed me his project. When it was over, he started to hold my hand." Liam's face darkened. "I was uncomfortable, so I tried to leave, but he…" she stopped, unable to continue. She broke down.

"Naomi" Liam said, grabbing her hand. She stopped and looked at him. "What happened?"

She started crying again. "He…he…raped me!" she gasped out.

Liam sat back, staring at her. "He…what…but…really?" he stammered out.

"See, I knew this was a mistake" Naomi got up and headed for inside, but Liam got up and grabbed her by the shoulders. "You're telling me the truth. He really raped you?"

Naomi nodded and tried to get away, but he wouldn't let her. "Please Liam" she said softly. "Just let me be, okay? I'm nothing anymore. I'm not worth your energy." He let her go this time when she moved to get away, but it was only a few seconds before he turned and grabbed her and kissed her hard on the lips.

"Why did you do that?" she asked when they broke apart.

"To show you that you are not nothing. You're Naomi Clarke for crying out loud! It may not seem like it now, but you are meaningful, and beautiful, and powerful and all those things you were before. And…someone who is very important to me." He added quietly at the end.

Naomi looked up. "What do you mean? I thought you were with Annie."

"Things aren't right with Annie. She's too nice for me. I like someone with a little more…bite."

Naomi blushed. "I'm afraid you're not going to find that here."

He grinned. "But I will. If you let me of course."

She looked at him suspiciously. "Are you saying you want to get back together?"

"No" he said, and she looked disappointed. "I don't mean it like that" he said hurriedly. "But you don't need a boyfriend right now. You just need someone to help you get back to yourself. And after that, well, we'll see where it goes."

"I don't think I can ever get back to myself. I'm broken Liam. Just a battered shell of what I once was."

"That's not true" he said fiercely. "I am going to help you. Whatever it takes. First thing is first though. Naomi-"he took a deep breath. "You have to press charges." Seeing her face he added "If you don't, you'll never get closure."

"But no one is going to believe me after what I did! I'm surprised you do!"

"If anyone else had caught you cutting yourself in your car, they'd have believed whatever you told them too." Naomi looked down. "It's going to be hell." She said.

"Yes, it will be." He agreed. "But you're not going to be alone. I'll be here." After a pause, "I love you Naomi."

Her face glowed through her tears. "I love you too Liam." They embraced affectionately.

"Just one more thing." He said after a minute. "You have to promise never to cut yourself ever again."

"I promise Liam." She said

And they lived happily ever after.


End file.
